I was asked a simple question yesterday, while on a social run, and as per usual, in my own inimitable style, provided an info-dump as an answer... So why not write about it?
The question was - "What is the 'gateway drug' for trail running?"
On the surface, this is a simple question - I interpreted it as "What local trail is accessible enough for a beginner, with sufficient natural beauty to entice the novice to seek out more..."
I almost immediately started talking about the Ditch Trail, starting out from Horseman's Park. It's centrally located in Reno, mostly flat, and great for not only short distances, but also longer ones. But then I talked about the Ditch Trail at Woodchuck & Plateau, and then Hunter Creek, and Evan's Canyon, Hidden Valley, Dry Pond, and so on, and so on, finally culminating with a recommendation for Galena Creek - but not at the Visitor's Center, but a starting point well below it, off of 431 - it's a nice, fairly flat, shaded (mostly) trail along the creek. And if you want more, you can go under a bridge and follow the trail for another mile or so, or divert along the road for about a mile to another trailhead, and go out for miles and miles...
We truly are lucky to have so many great trails in the area, and that's not even including Washoe Valley, Carson City, and the Lake...
So without further ado, here's a list of trails with links and descriptions. Enjoy, and I hope to see you out there...
Here is a Google Map of all the trailheads I know about in the area. If I've missed some, please let me know and I'll get them added ASAP.
Horseman's Park - Near the intersection of Skyline & Pioneer is a little park with a small arena that can be used for horses, hence the name. You can park there, or just below the arena is a larger dirt lot you can park in. You can catch the Steamboat Ditch Trail south, for a little over a mile, where you'll hit Manzanita, and from there on you're on the street. If you head North, you'll cross the street and then head west/northwest, for as far out as you like. The trail is only partially shaded but hit it early or late enough in the summer and you'll be fine. Keep the canal on your left as you're heading out, and on you're right when returning, and it will be difficult to get lost. There are a few street crossings, but most are easy enough to spot. The challenging one is at mile 2.5-ish - you come out on Susileen, then need to head North on it for about .1 miles to Meridian, and then go West on Meridian for slightly under another .1, where you'll catch the trail again. The only other "odd" crossing is at around mile 3.5, where you enter a homeowner's property and follow the driveway west to Southhampton, where you cross and get back on the trail.
If I recall correctly you can follow the trail for about 8 miles west, after going under McCarran, and then you'll hit a hard fence-line. A property owner constructed a fence across the ditch trail and successfully lobbied local government to bar public access to the trail across his property. Before you hit the hard fence there is a "jog" you can take to get down to Plateau, which you can then follow West to intersect with Woodchuck, and begin again on the Steamboat Ditch Trail.
Which brings me to...
Woodchuck & Plateau - There's a small lot along the north side of the road, just after the corner. You can start here and head west for at least 7 or 8 miles, until you hit a hard fence near Verdi. The trail is a dirt road along the canal, and is not shaded. Again keep the canal on your left going out, on your right coming back. 4 miles out there's a local landmark called "Hole in the Wall", where there literally is a large hole cut through the hillside to allow the canal through. You can hike west up the hill and back down to continue west, or bear east at the top of the hill to head back along a slightly more challenging trail. It's hillier and ends with a fire road that goes along some power line towers - hence it's name "power line road". Some interesting spots along the trail out to Hole in the Wall - at around mile two, you can cross the canal and catch a trail South, which will take you up to Hunter Creek/Michael D Thompson Trailhead. We'll talk about that next. At around 3 miles or so you'll intersect a trail that will take you North, down to the "Tom Cooke Trailhead" where you can intersect the river path if you like.
Hunter Creek/Michael D Thompson - Continue West up the road on Woodchuck for a mile or so and you'll see the parking areas for the trailhead. Be warned - I've never had any trouble parking up here but people have reported break-ins over the years, so keep your valuables in the trunk and out of sight. Head West from the parking lot, beyond the creek crossing, and you'll see the trails to the north that take you down to the Ditch Trail. Keep heading west, then South, and you'll begin an ascent that will take you three miles out to a very nice waterfall. I advise hitting this one early, as it can get quite crowded on weekends and during the summer - it's a very popular trail. It's a decent 3 mile grinder up to the falls, but it's well worth it. There are a couple of sections where you cross shale & boulders, but they're short and fairly stable sections.
Galena Creek - Follow Highway 431 West towards Mt Rose, and turn South onto Callahan. Follow Callahan a couple of miles South until just after Brookmeadow Lane. You'll see a parking area on the right. The trail heads West along the creek, and is mostly shaded. It is a gradual uphill, but there's no really difficult steep sections. You can follow the creek trail all the way out to almost Mt Rose Highway, but if I'm looking for more distance I usually hit Joy Lake Road at mile 1.5 (the trail continues on, under the bridge) and take Joy Lake Road South for about a mile, where you'll hit the Brown's Creek Trailhead, which, you guessed it, we'll talk about next. Galena Creek trail is one of my favorites for a short almost in-town trail.
Brown's Creek- From the bottom, it's a pretty good grinder up to a marker for "Sundown Town" (unfortunate name), about a mile and a half up. From there, You can hit trails that'll carry you South, then West, all the way up to Slide Mountain, if you like. (I've never been that nuts). You can also intersect the trail System at the Galena Creek Visitor's Center (https://www.strava.com/activities/2418655811), which I highly recommend as well. Since they are a few miles up Mt Rose Highway I didn't include them in this list, but they're worth a visit.
Evan's Creek/Rancho San Rafael - Going North on Virginia St, just Past McCarran, you'll see the Reno Sports Complex. Park at the far Western edge of the parking lot, and you'll see the trailhead off to the North. There are many options here - run West, heading down the hill past the Basque Monument, and you'll hit the trail system. You can run North, and stay low and close to the creek on the East site, or follow the Western side of the creek for more hilly options. At the North end of the creek, about a mile and a half from the parking lot, you can take some switchbacks up to the fire roads and trails to Keystone Canyon, Hogue Road, and beyond for many miles. A lot of the trails back here are part of the Silver State 50/50 course, and are your standard Nevada Desert fare - beautiful, but not so shady. One of my favorite loops is 6 miles - you head South at the bottom of the "Basque Monument Road", and run until you get to the tunnel that leads to Rancho San Rafael. Head west up the trail to a parking lot adjacent to McCarran, then follow the trail again North until you get to the intersection with a hill. Take the hill West/Northwest, and follow it North until you get to the switchbacks. Take the switchbacks up until you hit the fire road system, then take a road West, then South. Follow it up and over, past a power transfer station, then follow it South until you catch a trail Southeast back up and over to the park again. this time take the trail South until you get to McCarran, then east and back down to the tunnel entrance. From here you head north until you hit the road that takes you back up to the monument, and the parking lot. The link at the beginning of this description is that route.
Hidden Valley - On the Eastern side of town is a whole range of trails, from mostly fun to some steep climbs. My advice would be just start on one, and keep going up! But that's me...
Huffaker Hills - You can park at the Trailhead on Alexander Lake Road, or for more fun park at the Starbucks near Longley and McCarran, wind your way out to Double R via Barron Way East/South, then Corporate Dr West/South, head South on Double R, and find the fire road about a mile up that heads East up into the Hills. When you get to the top, bear South and up until you get to the lookout for a great view... Then when you head back down, you can follow Alexander Lake Road to McCarren, then go back to Starbucks, or do like I do and take the trails back down to the end of Barron and South back to Longley/Starbucks. It's fun!
Pinehaven - Last but certainly not least is a great system of trails on the West side of town, called "Pinehaven", at the top of Pinehaven road. Go figure. There's parking at the trailhead, and then you can head up West to hit a variety of different choices for trails. It's a fun place to explore.
Whoops! How could I forget Dry Pond? - Head up 431 towards Mt Rose then make a right onto Timberline. Follow it North for a few miles until you hit the trailhead. Don't stop at the parking area before you cross the creek, that's for newbs. Continue another .1 miles until you get to the trailhead proper. Head West then up/South/Southwest to the top, 3 miles up to "Dry Pond", then continue Westward then down for another 3 miles or so for a nice loop. There's water, shade, and hills. What more could you ask for?
That should be plenty to get you started. Now go hit some trails and next time I'll talk about Tahoe & Carson City!
PS: a great way to find trails is to look at other peoples trail runs on Strava and see if anything strikes your fancy. I've found several that way.
